I Never Knew
by mini princess93
Summary: TxG Given the option between the perfect guy and...Troy, the former seems like the obvious choice. But after all the details are taken into account, maybe Gabriella should rethink that. Three-shot. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**I Never Knew**_  
By mini princess93  
---------------------_  
Ch. 1

* * *

How is it that whenever he would flick his hair from his eyes or...breathe, I honestly thought I would melt. He turned such mundane banalities as putting books away into something akin to ripping off his shirt. And every time he grinned at me with his perfect smile, I couldn't help but want to otherwise occupy his lips. The words I would use to describe every micro-action he did would be: So. Damn. Sexy.

It was the natural female reaction to Kevin Murphy. He was perfect. Amazingly gorgeous with actor-slash-model worthy genetics. I figured it was only a matter of time before his god-like face graced an Abercrombie bag and I, for one, couldn't wait for that day. And he wasn't just ridiculously good looking. He was a genius as well as an avid environmentalist (he rode his bike to school everyday which definitely contributed to his rock solid body), junior class president and a part-time employee at good ole' Albuquerque's very own Barnes & Noble. Just like me.

Currently, I was resting in the staff room on my break, elbow propped up on an moss green velvet arm rest with my chin sitting in my open palm. My thoughts were being plagued with something that was really nothing out of the ordinary – how to get Kevin to notice me.

Sure, he noticed me as a co-worker but that was absolutely it. He always treated me the same way he treated Troy and that was just not what I was aiming for.

Just then, Kevin walked in and plopped himself down onto the well-worn chair next to mine. I held my breath as he grinned at me, baring his perfectly aligned white teeth. God, I noticed the most random things.

"Hey Gabriella," He said casually, shooting me a glance.

Oh my. Natural female reaction kicking in three…two…

"Hi Kevin," I squeaked, my voice octaves above it's natural decibel, sounding like I had seriously been hitting the helium. Way to be cool Gabriella.

If he noticed how unbelievably dorky I was being or my obvious lack of composure, he didn't comment on it. Thankfully.

"I got you something," He stuck his hand into the pocket of his khaki cargo shorts and pulled out a bright yellow package of Sour Patch Kids. My all-time favorite candy.

*sigh* I think I'm in love.

"Thanks," I flushed an unflattering deep pink. I took the candy from him, carefully grazing my fingers along his open palm, all while trying to prevent myself from completely losing it right there and then. I was nothing if not a multi-tasker.

The fact that the Sour Patch Kids were slightly warm as a result of being in his pocket and close to his body heat probably should have repulsed me and normally, it would have. But not today. Now, it made me positively giddy. Carefully as I possibly could, I ran my index finger along the flap on the back, trying to rip the plastic as little as possible. I didn't want to open it at all, I'd rather frame it for my wall or stick it in a scrapbook. But Kevin looked at them, then me, like he expected me to eat it and I would be damned if I was going to let him down. Nobody said I couldn't save the wrapper for all of eternity though.

I placed a sugary green 'kid' on my tongue and savored its symbolism. He bought me candy! Granted, it wasn't exactly Godiva truffles in a heart shaped box but that would be so cliche. Kevin was anything but ordinary. He was extraordinary. It was such a sweet gesture. Both literally and figuratively. Plus, he knew my favorite candy AND took the trouble to get it for me. So, wouldn't that make it more personal?

It was, I was sure of it.

"Well, my break's ending soon," he braced his hands on his knees and straightened as I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, mine too." Technically, my break wasn't over for another five minutes but whatever. I didn't want it looking like he was ditching me like I was some kind of loser. Even if I maybe was.

He nodded and smiled at me again. God, he did that so well. "I'll see you out there," He left and I sat perfectly still, waiting for the coast to be clear. When I was sure Kevin wasn't coming back, I kicked my heels and punched the air like an overturned bug and squealed in a pitch so high that dogs were probably the only individuals capable of hearing such a noise. I was ecstatic and nothing was going to bring me down from this sugar high.

"Hey Gabs - oh hey, let me get one of those!" I opened my eyes slowly just in time to see my precious Sour Patch Kids lifted off my lap as Troy dug his fingers in, ripping the yellow plastic in order to get better access to my candy.

Nothing except for that.

I made a soft noise of protest as Troy stuffed three gummies into his mouth. He made a disgusted face then swallowed with an exaggerated gulp and apparently great difficulty.

"Gross, why are they warm?"

I rolled my eyes and snatched them from him again. "None of your business," I snapped at him. How dare he?

He frowned at me, his brow crinkled in confusion at my evidently sour mood. And to think, I was on top of the world not five minutes ago. "What's wrong with you?" He was such a charmer, that Bolton.

"Nothing," I pouted petulantly, sticking out my bottom lip.

I saw Troy clench his jaw just the smallest bit as we lost eye contact and his eyes flicked from mine to the general vicinity of my chin for just a mere fraction of a second then back to my eyes. But he snapped out of it so quickly that I wasn't sure if I had just imagined it.

"It's just that…you could have asked." I reminded him, sounding a bit like a disappointed child. Mind you, not that I would have said yes to him. What, do you think I'm an idiot?

"It's just candy." He spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if I really was this fictional child. "I'll buy you more if it'll make you feel better." He dug his distressed brown leather wallet from his back pocket and rifled though his bills. "How much is it, like a dollar?"

I sighed, "I don't want your money." I shook my head disapprovingly at him. "Kevin gave me those. You just wouldn't understand."

Troy shrugged, pocketing his wallet again, still looking thoroughly mystified. "You're right, I don't get it. And I don't think I want to."

I readily ignored this. "You ripped the wrapper!" I complained.

"Who cares? You're supposed to throw it away anyways. It's disposable, that's kind of the point." He told me, stating the obvious. I pouted again. Once again, he just wasn't fully comprehending the magnitude of Kevin's actions. "What's it to you? You gonna save it or something?" He teased, unaware that he was hitting the nail right on the head. Of course, his one moment of mildly perceptive intuition was stumbled across by accident.

"No," I scoffed like the mere suggestion was absurd. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Of course I wasn't."

He nodded at me skeptically. "Sure, whatever."

I brought my wrist up to my eyes as if to check my imaginary watch. "Oh, well look at that," Troy looked up from the book he clearly had snatched from the store room with a vaguely disinterested glance in my direction. "My break is over. Later Bolton."

He gave a small nod of acknowledgment before ducking his head down again, attention once again focused on his book. He was definitely not the kind of guy to buy a girl candy. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was exactly the reason why Kevin would stay superior to Troy.

Because, to be totally honest, Troy wasn't all that bad looking so that wasn't working against him. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he was quite attractive with floppy sandy brown hair that constantly fell in his blue eyes that usually rendered most girls incapable of coherent thought. Once upon a time, I had been one of those girls but then he opened his mouth and started talking and it all just went downhill from there.

Although, comparing Kevin and Troy was just cruel because Kevin was…Kevin! While Troy was more along the lines of just…Troy. There were no adjectives to accurately describe them so that's just how I always classified them in my mind. Kevin was filled with charisma and charm, the kind of guy that instantly got along with anyone. Troy, however, was an endless supply of bad jokes and annoying habits.

Okay, I was being a tad harsh. It wasn't like I disliked Troy, he and I actually got along a majority of the time. It's just that, in my mind, he was the sole reason why nothing was happening between Kevin and I. It seemed like Troy happened to always be there. Showing up unexpectedly for surprise shifts when I thought I had, for once, alone time with Kevin. No such luck. He would just show up behind the cash register where we worked together with all sorts of pointless chatter apparently stashed up in that head of his. I was beginning to think that was all he had up there, useless facts and countless ways to distract Gabriella. He would bring up a new subject every thirty seconds when all I was trying to do was inconspicuously try and watch Kevin.

Troy brought a whole new meaning to the word 'irritating'.

With a hopelessly pathetic lovesick look at my face which I would and could convincingly deny later, I gazed at Kevin. What can I say, he was mesmerizing.

Everything about him was hypnotic. The way his muscles rippled and bulged when he lifted those heavy cardboard boxes. And the way his simple dark red t-shirt would ride up when he reached to restock that top shelf (the same one that I didn't have a chance in hell of reaching unless I was wearing my zero gravity boots) to reveal an inch wide strip of the waistband of his black Calvin Klein boxers and then a sliver of the tan skin covering his sculpted back.

It was a thing of beauty.

"You're in love with Murphy!" A disbelieving voice shot into my ear, seemingly out of nowhere. It wasn't a question or even a simple statement. There was no doubt that this was an accusation, like this was a felony punishable by federal law. I was half-expecting to find some swinging ceiling light shined into my eyes.

I ripped from my gaze from Kevin as he disappeared through the 'Mystery & Crime-Fiction' aisle and whirled around to shift my gaze to Troy whose break was evidently finished. His shockingly blue eyes were wide and incredulous, directed towards me. His pupils repeatedly flickered between myself and the spot where Kevin had been occupying just a few seconds ago.

"No I'm not," I automatically protested, speaking much too quickly. I felt my face flame up. Oh wow. It probably would have been a little less obvious if I donned one of those sandwich boards, declaring my obsessive crush for our fellow employee.

"Very believable," he snorted, rolling his eyes at me.

"Alright," I swallowed the small lump in my throat. This was humiliating. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to pretend that I couldn't care less. Although, I think the flush permanently staining my cheeks was probably betraying my emotions more than I was willing to verbalize. "so what if I am?"

He shook his head, ringing up the purchases of an old lady buying a sizable stack of romantic novels. But it wasn't just that, he was doing it like he was disappointed. In ME! Umm..._what?_

"You won't tell him, will you?" I asked uncertainly as he carelessly dumped her books in a trademark green plastic bag then handed them to her with a complementary farewell. "Because I'd be so embarrassed to look at Kevin that I'd probably quit here. And drop out of school because he goes to school with us too." My threat was pretty empty considering that I was legally obligated to stay in school (oh, pshh) but…I think I made my point. Just for good measure, I added, "In fact, you'd probably never see my face again. So if I become a unabomber, it'll be on your conscience."

He let out a low rumbling chuckle that sounded ever so slightly unnatural. I didn't know what to make of it. "No, don't worry. My lips are sealed." He then proceeded to mime zipping his lips shut and throwing away the key. Then his jaw trembled like he was trying and failing to open his mouth again. See what I mean about the bad jokes? But regardless, I laughed.

"Thank you Bolton. For finally doing something that doesn't benefit you." I smiled at him briefly before turning back to my machine.

He snorted again. Then, so softly that I was positive that I wasn't supposed to hear, he murmured "I wouldn't be too sure of that Gabriella."

* * *

A/N: *Sigh* So I definitely thought this was going to be longer (only slightly over 2,000 words!). Nope, sorry about that but that's where I wanted to end it. This story is loosely based off Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott (I swear, she sounds like a One Tree Hill Character like Peyton _Elizabeth Scott_, maybe?) but I've kind of stayed away from Hannah's parental situation [her mom is a former stripper and her estranged father is a Hugh Hefner type guy with a reality show] but I don't want every detail of my story to be the same as the book not to mention it would be terribly cliched. The situation of Gabriella working with two guys is the only similarity to the book so after this, I'm taking creative license with it and doing my own thing.

This is going to be a three-shot so it's my first multi-chaptered story in a while. Needless to say, I'm slightly nervous. So please review.

Okay, I'm done with my obscenely long author's note.


	2. Chapter 2

**I Never Knew**_  
By mini princess93  
-------------------------_  
Ch. 2

* * *

I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but cryptic people annoy me. It's just kind of like, why don't you just _say_ it? When comments like "I wouldn't be too sure of that Gabriella," are made, it sounds like they want you to figure it out. But how much easier would if be if it was just explained? That would take all the guesswork out of it.

If you hadn't noticed, Troy's annoyingly cryptic statement had been bugging for me for days. I finally settled on the assumption that he enjoyed having something that he could hold over me in case there was ever a need for blackmail. That would be so like him.

So once that was taken care of, I knew that I had bigger fish to fry.

"So dude, I'm thinking of asking Gabriella out on a date. You talk to her, right? Do you think she'll say yes?" Kevin's voice seeped through the cracks underneath the door that I currently had my ear pressed against. He was the staff room with Troy, apparently talking it over.

I bit the my tongue to stop myself from screaming like fangirl at a teenybopper concert but truly, I wanted to jump for joy. Sing my heart out and perhaps some sprout angel wings to fly away. Unfortunately, jumping would have made me look silly, I can't sing without breaking a window and the last one was kind of a physical impossibility. So I stayed still, grinning from ear to ear.

My efforts were paying off. Three weeks of hardcore flirting were finally getting me somewhere. Three weeks of looking especially nice everyday. Of volunteering to help him stack books, of coordinating our breaks so we could take them together and grab Starbucks at the overpriced café while taking advantage of our employee discount and of talking to him basically whenever I had the opportunity.

And Troy watched. Rolling his eyes as I giggled flirtatiously at one of Kevin's jokes for the umpteenth time or he'd have a not-so-subtle fit of coughing when I sent Kevin wide grins from across the store. But he kept his word and stayed silent. Something I was eternally grateful for.

"I don't know man. I don't even think she likes you." Troy deadpanned and just like that, my smile dropped. My desire to jump like an ecstatic little girl quickly morphed into a desire to slap Troy in the face. He was ruining everything I had worked so hard for. And in one fell swoop. This sucked!

There was silence and I waited with bated breath for Kevin's reaction. It never came. Instead, I heard footsteps coming towards me and I stepped back before placing one foot on the ground like it was mid-motion. Kevin burst out in a heated stomp but he stopped right in front of me.

"Hi Kevin." I said breathily, attempting to sound aloof and unconcerned. But inside, my heart was beating faster than the Energizer Bunny.

He grinned at me and inhaled deeply. "Hey Gabs. I know this is probably a suicide mission but you know what, I'm going to ask anyways. Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow night? Like, on a date?"

I nodded excitedly. "Pick me up at 7:30," I instructed him smoothly with a warming smile.

He let out a relieved breath and I felt thrilled. He was nervous about asking me, Gabriella Montez (formerly a girl on a just-friends status with Kevin), on a date! Me! How many times do you I have to say that before you understand just how unbelievable amazing I felt, right at that moment. I breezed into the breakroom, practically floating on air but then I saw Troy snacking on a cupcake he had probably sweet-talked the pretty barista into giving to him pro bono and all my negative energy came rushing back. I stalked up to him and swiftly smacked him on the arm. Pretty hard too.

"Ow, what the hell are you doing Gabriella?" He asked, rubbing his new sore spot. I hope he bruises.

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" I countered.

"What are you talking about?" Son of a gun, he actually looked like he had no idea what I was talking about. Either he's an outstanding actor or just a big huge idiot. I'm placing my bets on the latter.

"The stuff you were saying to Kevin. About me not liking him. What the hell was that?" I hissed, flapping my arms at him.

"Didn't you tell me not to tell him that you were pathetically in love with him?" He asked, raising his brows at me. That train of thought took a special kind of ignorance that was probably specific to Troy alone. Yep, definitely the idiot.

"Not in those exact words but yes, I did." I conceded, nodding.

"Okay, I did that and then took it one step further. You should be thanking me for my ability to be proactive. What's the problem?" He shrugged his shoulders like he couldn't care less. Well, he probably couldn't care less but that was no excuse.

"The problem?" I scoffed. "When exactly did I say 'discourage him from asking me out'? Because I don't know if this is news to you Bolton, but when someone is, as you put it 'pathetically in love' with someone, they generally kind of to go on a date with said person." I told him, although he remained annoyingly unfazed. "Or did I just magically tune that out? Because that would explain everything not to mention, it would awfully convenient for anyone born without the ability to think logically!" My eyes flashed at him angrily and he actually took a half-step back away from me.

He blinked, looking taken aback. Then he quickly narrowed his eyes at me and I could just see the wheels turning in that head of his. "So you're saying that my words prevented Kevin from asking you out on a date."

I paused, finally seeing a huge, gaping hole in _my_ logic. "Well, he still asked me out but Troy, that's not the point." I bristled, knowing how stupid I sounded even as the words came out of my mouth. Maybe I should have thought this through a little more.

"That's completely the point." Troy retorted, quick as a whip. "You're all wound up because I _could have_ ruined your chances but I didn't. You're still going on your precious date so stop yelling. You're giving me a headache."

"You didn't know he would still ask me out. For all you know, you could have made him all insecure and then-"

"Oh please," He cut in, "Like Murphy has the mental capacity to be insecure. He probably just asked me to fluff his ego and I just preferred not to fall in his trap like you have. Now if you don't mind, I have to go back to work." Without another word, Troy strode out of the room purposefully, leaving me standing there with my jaw on the floor. His tone was one of forced calm and the eeriness of hearing it come from Troy puzzled me before I scrambled after him. I kept on forgetting we had the same job…

When I went out there, we didn't speak or even look at each other. Having Troy talk in my ear twenty-four/seven was annoying but the awkward silence now hanging over us was downright excruciating.

So when there was a lull in the line, I turned to Troy. "I'm sorry," I said softly, "for yelling at you. It was uncalled for."

Troy nodded slowly. "Apology accepted. And sorry for being an ass."

"It's alright. You can't help it."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Troy cracked a smile. "Very funny Montez."

"I think so too."

There was one thing I could relax about. Things were back to normal. Or as normal as they could be when it came to the "hot and cold" relationship I had with Troy. I swear, sometimes I wondered if Troy and I would be friends if weren't forced to coexist in group situation with the other Wildcats. Honestly, I really wasn't sure. But it's not like I would ever really have a chance to find out. We were forced to mingle occasionally and as a direct result of that, we were friends. Or at least, kind of.

* * *

After our shift, Troy and I planned to meet up with a mutual friend, Chad Danforth at the local Johnny Rocket's for a quick bite for dinner. I slid into the red vinyl booth across from the bushy haired goofball as Troy sat next to him.

"How was work?" Chad asked.

Troy yawned widely. "Same old, same old." However, if I had been given the chance to answer, my response would have been wildly different. First Kevin asking me out, then Troy and I's mini-argument. If that happened every day, I'd be thinking I lived in a really bad soap opera. But I stayed quiet. Chad didn't need to know everything. In fact, it was a lot simpler if he stayed blissfully ignorant.

We ordered our meals and drinks before Troy excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"Hey Gabs." Chad greeted me with a handful of fries shoved sloppily in his mouth. I grimaced and turned away disgustedly. This is one of the hazards of having the majority of your friends being guys. "What's up?"

"I'm fine. And yourself?"

"Pretty good. So listen," He paused, licking a spare drip of ketchup sitting on his thumb and I dared to turn my head back. "I'm having a bunch of people over at my house tomorrow since my parents are going to be out. You in?"

"I can't." I said excitedly, shifting in my seat practically beaming. "I'm going on a date. And I know all the stuff about the dangers of dating a coworker but you know what? Screw it. I'm not worried."

"So he finally got the courage." Chad smiled broadly, sounding a bit like a proud parent. Which was kind of odd considering that he hardly knew Kevin.

"Yep. And he sounded so nervous which was just like, the most adorable thing ever. And Kevin is such a sweetheart..." I gushed.

"Wait...you're going on a date with Kevin?" Chad asked incredulously.

I stared at him like he had just grown three heads and he mirrored my actions. "Of course, who did you think I was talking about?"

For once, Chad had no words. This was unusual. He just moved his lips moved soundlessly. "Well..."

He was thankfully stopped by Troy who took his seat next to Chad who decided it would be a good time to shut up. Good boy.

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" Troy asked easily.

I gave Chad a strange look who was shifting his eyes around guiltily. "I don't know, probably the same thing that I did."

He knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

Shrugging, I looked at Chad again. "Ask him."

"I...didn't know exactly which coworker she was going on a date with." He finally answered in a slightly strangled voice.

"Who did you think I was going out with? Troy?" I giggled a the mere notion.

"Yeah," Chad forced out a chuckle as Troy rolled his eyes. "Of course not. That would be really..." He trailed off, evidently trying to find an appropriate adjective. I waited for the word that would follow. "weird." he finished lamely.

"Definitely weird." I agreed, taking a sip of my soda.

"So, Hoops..." Chad turned his attention to the other occupant at our table, slapping him on the back. I stole a glance at Troy as he dragged a tired hand through his hair. His penetrating gaze slid over to me and we maintained eye contact for a few seconds before I blinked and stared down at my burger sitting innocently on the white plate in front of me.

Everything was all jumbled and confusing. Chad was a strange kid on the best of days but this was just more than I was accustomed to. And Troy. Who had been creepily observant recently. Of me as far as I could tell but then again, I wasn't the one being a creeper. I wouldn't really know. But he had kind of been bugging me in a quiet way. Unnoticeable yet unnerving.

Oh god, what was wrong with me. I had a date with Kevin Murphy! Chad and Troy were so irrelevant when I had a date with Kevin freaking Murphy.

Oh shoot...that reminds me. I have to find something to wear. I swear, I'm not genetically coded to be a girl. I'm terrible with fashion and picking out semi-decent outfits to wear to impress Kevin had been a challenge enough. Now that he figured that I was worthy as a possible girlfriend, I had to really blow him away to change that possible to permanent. I mean, I wasn't picking out wedding invitations or naming our children but I really wanted this to go well.

A nice outfit. That shouldn't be too hard. I'm a girl, there has to be some indicator in the back of my mind that all females were born with to know 'what looked right with what' and so on and so forth. A little book of fashion 'do's and don'ts' that was automatically programmed in the womb when we _didn't_ grow a penis. I could do this. I could _so_ do this.

As I stared at my depressing wardrobe the next afternoon, categorized by type, I came to a harsh realization.

I so _couldn't_ do this.

I didn't know what colors were compatible. I had no idea what looked nice with what. Oh God, I was doomed to a life of perpetual loneliness. I might as well buy my forty-three cats right now and seal my future as the crazy cat lady. Well, not now. They'd probably all die before I was old enough to convince neighbors that I knew for sure that I was destined for an isolated life of feline companionship.

...That was a tad overdramatic, wasn't it?

Oh goodness, I've been hanging around Sharpay far too much.

Sharpay! The answer to my prayers! The girl practically breathed fashion. Her elevated social status got her front row tickets at every Fashion Week from New York to Paris. Maybe she could shed some light on this situation. I had never really needed her expertise until now. So when I called her up and she promised me she'd be right over, I expected her to pull up in her bubblegum pink convertible, find some hidden potential in my wardrobe and call it a day. So imagine my surprise when she pulled up in the bubblegum pink convertible with two bulging grey garment bags sitting in her passenger seat. I came out to meet her and upon drawing closer, I noticed two legs sticking out from the bottom of the bags.

Sadly, my first thought was not 'Why does that garment bag have legs?' but rather 'Why the hell did she bring garment bags?'

The first question was answered first when they shifted and revealed the face of Sharpay's ever-loyal boyfriend Zeke.

"Follow us Zekey." Sharpay instructed him, picking up her Dolce & Gabbana silver bowler bag from the backseat and strutting into my house.

"I'm really sorry." I whispered to him, staying behind to help him with one of the two bags.

He laughed as he readjusted the garment bag in his grip. "Don't worry about it."

When I got back to my room, Sharpay was already standing there with her hands on her hips, waiting for us slow-pokes to catch up. As soon as we did, she spread out her selections across my bed, floor and dresser and inspected them carefully.

"So what kind of dress code did Kevin say would be appropriate for tonight?" She asked, her calculating hazel eyes still scanning the prospectives.

"Um," I mentally replayed the short conversation Kevin and I had. "He didn't say anything about it at all."

"Hmph, and you didn't ask?" She acted like this small oversight was right on par with forgetting what day he was coming.

"No?" I said but it came out more like a question than a statement. Sharpay was nothing if not slightly intimidating.

"Well that makes things significantly more difficult but if it were black tie, then he definitely would have notified you." She surmised, taking a bejeweled cocktail dress and two floor length gowns out of the running. One of which was a radioactive shade of magenta that had me blanching. Under what circumstances did Sharpay believe that I would ever wear that? Even if it was black tie attire.

I groaned. This was difficult enough without the extra complications. I tentatively reached for a pair of dark wash jeans laying on my pillow which Sharpay immediately snatched out of my hands, declaring it 'wrong, all wrong'. They were jeans, how bad could it be? But after that, I gave up on trying to pretend I had any say in what I wore. Sharpay was the expert, I was merely the disciple. As long as I didn't come out on the other end of this deal looking like Slutty Sandy, I had no objections.

I felt like a Barbie doll. I stood still (well, as still as I could) while Sharpay circled me like a hawk – if hawks suddenly wore $500 Manolos and diamond encrusted talons. Every so often, she would hold up a top or a dress then cock her head right and left to determine it's probability of it being a suitable date outfit. After about a minute of this, she would toss it into the growing reject pile. Poor rejects. All the while, Zeke would pipe in with various opinions about Sharpay's selections, inputting his very valuable male perspective.

Eventually, Sharpay came up with a plan. I would answer the door in a simple but versatile strapless black knee-length dress and evaluate what he was wearing. Once that was done, I would excuse myself 'to grab a few things' and accessorize accordingly.

If he was dressed nice and formal, I would put on strappy gold heels, grab a black clutch and pile some long gold necklaces over the dress. If he came casually, I would put on some red patent leather flats, a long grey cashmere cardigan with the sleeves rolled up and some cute colorful bangles to adorn my wrists. All of which belong to Sharpay of course.

Of course, with my luck, he showed up looking perfectly delicious without dressing particularly casual or formal. So I had to make do with the red flats, grey cardigan, gold necklaces and black clutch. He escorted me to his white Prius turning the ignition on embarrassingly.

"I know this is a really girly car but it cuts down on the planet's toxic emissions." He shrugged modestly, maintaining the speed limit on the residential streets of Albuquerque.

"I don't think it's girly at all." I giggled. I had me a Renaissance man. And God, was he gorgeous. He could probably make a five dollar outfit look like John Varvatos sewed it with his own two hands. Everything about him was engineered to make him look like the guy that every girl wanted and every guy hated. Except he wasn't hated. It was impossible to hate him. It was like hating a cupcake.

His steely grey-blue eyes slid over to me for a second and gave me a heart-stopping grin. "I'm really glad you're here with me right now."

I nearly swooned and resisted the urge to pinch myself. "Me too." I admitted shyly.

"You look really pretty tonight."

Note to self: Do Sharpay's homework for the next four years. He said I look pretty. This Greek God of sorts is complimenting my appearance. "Thanks." This had too good to be true. "So, where are you taking me?" I asked coyly.

"Oh, there's this great little Italian place that I know. I thought you'd enjoy that." He said enthusiastically. How precious was he?

"It sounds perfect." Perfect indeed.

* * *

"It was just ridiculous, you know?" Kevin asked, taking an indignant bite of a breadstick.

"You don't say." I deadpanned as my head nodded noncommittally.

While I was doing all the gushing and raving about the amazing-ness that encompasses Kevin, you were probably wondering how a catch like him was not in a relationship. I mean, when decent guys were such a commodity in this day and age, how was this great guy not married already? Believe me, I was wondering too but I was too caught up in my obsession that I didn't really think about it but now that I was sitting right in front of him, I was starting to understand. I've always thought of Kevin was some kind of human embodiment of all things captivating, impressive.

And apparently, he did too.

Kevin _loved_ to talk. Not so bad, you think? I mean, Kevin's degree of chatter was tolerable under most circumstances. The catch is, he only talked about himself. About _his_ various and impressive accomplishments,_ his_ plans for his important political future and other aspects of _his_ life. I'm not self-involved or anything but not once did he ask a question about me. How had I not realized this sooner? I had talked to him before with absolutely no complaints. But then of course, I hadn't actually been paying attention to his words but more concerned with stupid things like our body language and what not.

Not that hearing about him wasn't interesting but there's a certain point where it does become a little too much. Other than that, he was a perfect gentleman which made me feel kind of guilty for being such a terrible date since I tuned him out about five minutes ago but if I had to hear one more student council debacle narrated to me, I was willing to do something very violent to myself.

We ended the date on my porch with him giving me a light kiss on the lips. But neither of us felt any sort of spark and we both knew it. There would be no second date and oddly, I wasn't disappointed by this fact.

In my mind, I had created this perfect version of Kevin in my mind. And with that came the vision of the so-called perfect date filled with sparkling conversation, scintillating topics of discussion and him filled with wonderful compliments and mushy sentiments for me. My expectations were built on an idyllic perception of Kevin that never really existed. So, surprise, surprise, no dream guy, no dream date. Kevin was amazing at certain things. He was great at saving the world and he could wear a t-shirt like no other but being a boyfriend? Not so much his forte.

And I was okay with that.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so this one was a lot longer than the last one. Which is good, I think. Oddly, it took me like two weeks to write the first chapter but the second I kind of sat myself down and focused, I got the second half done within hours. This may sound kind of unusual but if anyone catches any spelling/grammar mistakes, please tell me. My perfectionist tendencies will thank you.

The date with Kevin wasn't very long, I know, but the only significant part is that she is now over her crush on him and can move on [to Troy *spoiler alert*].

Reviews are very much appreciated  
-Alice (aka mini princess93)


	3. Chapter 3

**I Never Knew**_  
By mini princess93  
-------------------------_  
Ch. 3

* * *

"So, um, how was your date?" Troy asked the following Monday, his eyes steadily trained on the beige toned keyboard in front of him.

"It was alright." I answered vaguely.

I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Do you think you guys are going to go out again?" He shot me a split second glance before reverting his gaze to his computer screen again.

"No, probably not." I shrugged. Kevin did say 'This was fun, we should do it again,' at the end of our date but we both knew that he was just saying it to be polite. We hadn't talked since, not that I was expecting differently.

"Really?" This time, Troy fully turned to face me. His brows were raised so far that they disappeared behind his too-long bangs. "I thought you were in love with him."

"I was in love with who I thought he was. Very different story." I corrected him, shaking my head all while feeling incredibly stupid for all that wasted time.

"Was it that bad?"

"No." I disagreed. "It was okay but not something I really want to experience again."

"Really." He repeated. "So is it gonna be awkward here or something?" He added in a lower undertone.

I hadn't really thought about that. "I hope not. It's not like it was a disaster or anything but..." I trailed off, unsure of how far I could go without over sharing. "We just didn't click the same way that I thought we would." I finished.

There was a moment of an uncomfortable silence in which I reflected how different sharing personal details with guys than it was with girls. Maybe I should have thought about the fact that I was sharing a three hour shift with Troy before I opened my big mouth.

"So have you seen that new Adam Sandler movie?" Quick as a flash, Troy changed the subject. Thank goodness. And he sounded far more upbeat than he had just minutes before. Must have been a good movie.

* * *

Today was not going to be a good day and I already knew that. My alarm didn't go off and as a result, I didn't wake up until about fifteen minutes before I had to leave. After taking the quickest shower known to man, I threw on the first piece of clothing I could get my hands on which happened to be a dress that I didn't even know I owned. Well it was easier to put on than jeans so I didn't question it. I zoomed around my room, cramming various books and worksheets into my bag and in record time, I was out the door only three minutes later than when I would usually leave. It wasn't until I had actually walked into East High did I realize what I was wearing.

"Gabs, you look hot!" Sharpay squealed, the second I pushed through the glass doors.

"What are you talking abou-" I choked on my words as I looked down for the first time and saw exactly what I had picked up this morning. It was a navy blue dress that Sharpay had (accidentally?) left behind during our fashion excursion on Saturday. The sleeveless dress had a tight bodice in an eyelet material while the rest of the dress fell loosely to several inches above my knees. It wasn't particularly revealing but to me, I felt naked.

"Taylor." I tugged on my friend's arm. "Do you have something I can borrow for the rest of the day?"

Before Taylor had a chance to respond, Sharpay cut in. "Don't even think about it. You look amazing. It's not like you have anything to feel self conscious about." She told me honestly.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at her. Just then, a guy walked by, eyeing me without even trying to hid it. "Hey," He drawled, making it last much longer than entirely necessary. I shot a look at Sharpay who simply shrugged like this was nothing out of the ordinary. Then there was a slight noise of impact then an "ouch, what the fuck man?" before I turned to see the same guy, rubbing his arm and being subjected to a murderous glare courtesy of Troy. When had he gotten there?

I caught his eye briefly when I sent him a questioning stare and immediately, his eyes were cast downwards at the floor sheepishly with a faint blush tinting his cheeks. Huh? And somehow, I'd only been a school for less than five minutes and already things were...strange. Apparently, not only had I woken up late but also in this Twilight Zone-esque alternate universe?

And then the bell rang. Finally, something normal. We were making our way to homeroom with Sharpay grabbed my arm and linked it closely with hers.

"What was that?" She asked, whispering loudly. Even with her 'extra precautions', I was still pretty sure that everyone could hear her.

"What was what?"

"That!" She pointed a shiny pink fingernail at the place where I had been standing minutes before. I looked in the general direction of where she was pointing and the incredulous expression upon her face. After repeating this action a few more times, I was still feeling completely lost.

"I can honestly tell you that I have no idea what you're talking about." I said blankly to her. Was she on some kind of heavy medication?

"That thing with you and Troy!" She all but shouted, nearing hysteria. Overdramatics were her specialty. As one of her best friends, I would know.

"Shar, there was no 'thing' with me and Troy." I protested. Once again, I would know.

"He defended you. And then got all embarrassed when you caught him." She pointed out like I would know the significance of such events.

"Ohhh-kay? He's my friend. Friends defend each other."

Sharpay just nodded in that really annoying way that conveyed that she didn't believe me one bit. "Did Chad?"

"No. Troy just...got there first." I shrugged. It wasn't a big deal or anything.

"Mmm-hm. And what was Troy defending you from?" What is with all the Spanish Inquisition? It's like she's trying to force me to some point. A very very sharp point that is better left avoided.

"That guy!" Obviously, I wanted to add.

"And what was that guy doing?"

I hesitated. He actually hadn't been doing much of anything, now that I thought about it. "He was," I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of not answering at all but now that I opened my mouth, I found that the words weren't really coming to me. "Looking at me funny."

"So he was being over protective of you." Sharpay was giving me this all-knowing look that was kind of scaring me.

"Yes. Like a...brother."

"Or a boyfriend." She suggested with an evil grin on her face.

"Sharpay!" I gasped, pulling my arm from her grasp. "That's ridiculous."

She merely smirked her glossy lips. "Yeah, sure sweetie. Whatever you say."

* * *

If I had to describe lunch in one word, it would be awkward. You would think so too considering it was just Troy and I. And I didn't even have a chance to avoid it. Due to my late start this morning, there was no time for me to pack a lunch so of course I had to buy my lunch so when I walked over to the table, everyone was there. But within minutes, everybody excused themselves for one reason or another. Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi all had some theater rehearsal, Taylor was tutoring Chad (which meant they had probably found an empty corridor to make out in), Zeke wasn't in school and Jason just...never showed up. Unusual, what with Jason's obvious affinity with food. So that left Troy and I sitting by ourselves in a normally bustling table.

It was so uncomfortable. Being together at work was one thing since we always had something else to focus on but during lunch, sitting in silence was so much worse.

"So...uhm." He coughed uncomfortably and I offered him my water bottle to which he declined. "You know that, uh, new place opening downtown?"

"Yeah, I think so." I thought about it for a second. "Nourish or something, right?"

"That's it." He sounded energized by my cooperation. "I actually heard it's pretty good."

"Really?"

"Yeah," His tongue darted out from his mouth to wet his lips. "we should go sometime."

"We should! Like, all together. It should be really fun."

"A group thing?" He said flatly, looking a little taken aback as I nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, that sounds great." Although this time, his tone was a little less enthused. He took a bite of his sandwich and furrowed his brow pensively.

I grinned at him. A good idea from Bolton, who would have thought it possible?

* * *

And apparently, my bad day received a bite from a radioactive spider because my crappy day somehow mutated into a sucky week. On Wednesday, I got a detention because my father just learned how to text and decided to test it out on his daughter. When I happened to be in a class with the crazy Ms. Cell-itary Confinement Darbus.

Thanks Dad.

Then, during gym on Thursday, an over zealous Dodgeball participant bowled me over in such a way that my ankle was in excruciating pain.

Good job asshole.

Consequently, I missed the rest of the day of school to go have it checked out since apparently, our very _qualified_ school nurse could not accurately diagnose my injury. Missing school sounds good in theory but for me, it's not. I like school and because of that, I was always put in the most advanced classes. The kind of classes that you need to be at every single day or else you're going to get seriously lost. So missing school just gave me even more work. As if I didn't have enough already.

The good news was, Taylor had a free period after gym so she was able to drive me to the doctor's office and wait with me a for a little bit while the doctor gave me x-rays and conducted various other examinations.

So, as it turns out, I only sprained my ankle. I skipped half a day of school and with no broken limbs. Fantastic. But I still did get the Ace bandage and crutches so it wasn't a complete and total fail.

Sharpay ended up giving me a ride home (she ended having to pick up some Prozac for her mother or something?) so when I got home, I went straight to my room to elevate my leg and maybe get a head start on my missed assignments. I threw my crutches to the side, whipped off my jacket and nearly had a heart attack.

So that was a bit of an exaggeration but I did jump as best as I could in my condition. It was Troy. You heard me right.

Troy Bolton was sitting in my room.

I blinked several times to test if this was some kind of mirage or hologram. Although, I guess a hologram wouldn't actually disappear if I blinked unless it had some really complex trigger system but basically what I'm trying to say is that, I had a hard time believing that Troy was sitting there, all innocent-like. I had to say, he looked mighty out of place among the girly furniture my mother picked out; he himself was perched on an overstuffed, pink and white striped arm chair.

"Hi." He said casually, completely oblivious to my bewilderment.

"Hello." I said cautiously, hobbling over to my desk to use the desk chair for support. "Not to sound rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"

"Your mom let me in." He pointed uselessly at the doorway, supposedly in the vague direction of my mother. I stared at it for a few seconds, as if it could give me the confirmation that I needed. Believe it or not, it didn't.

"That wasn't exactly my question but I guess that's good to know too. I mean, what are you doing here? In my room." I added in case he needed the extra clarification.

"Oh. Well," He stood up and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his well-worn jeans. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. Tay told me about what happened."

"Well, I'm fine. As you can see. It's just a sprain." I assured him, sticking out my leg as a solid piece of evidence. He stared at it then up at me before shaking himself out of his reverie.

"I see that. Um, I should probably get going." He grabbed his red and white Wildcat letterman jacket from off the back of my chair and began to walk out of my bedroom. But something had been bugging me since Sharpay had brought it up and I just had to know.

"Troy," I stopped him, the words leaving my mouth before I even realized. "You know the other day when I was wearing that...ill-advised dress? Why did you punch that kid?"

He got this look of concentration on his face, presumably trying to dig up that recent memory. "Oh that. He was...just looking at you weird. I didn't like it." He shrugged modestly. "I didn't actually hurt him that bad if that's what you're worried about."

"No, of course not. So your actions were simply justified by the fact that you were being over protective." I concluded.

"Yeah."

"Like a brother?"

He hesitated. "Yeah, sure."

"That's the same thing Sharpay said! I don't get it. What's that supposed to mean." I spun the chair around and sat down on the desk chair then stamped my good foot like an impatient child.

He sighed heavily, like the weight of the world was resting on his heavy shoulders as he ran a tired hand through his shiny bronze hair. "Maybe, I don't want to be like your brother." He gave me this long meaningful look, boring into me. And somehow I couldn't find the will to look away.

So I stared at him, I'm sure the confusion was evident on my face. My mind flashed back to the conversation I had with Sharpay about his identical topic and the other option she had given me and a realization came washing over me. He was being 'boyfriend protective'. She was more astute than I gave her credit for most of the time. It was silly since Troy wasn't actually my boyfriend but I could make that small leap and assume that he had 'boyfriend-ly feelings' toward me.

"Oh." I said simply. That was really all that I could manage with my mind reeling, shocked by this new information.

He chuckled in a forced and not-funny manner. He knew that I knew. "Now you get it?" He asked wryly.

I merely nodded. Wow, this was a lot to process. How had he- when had- what was... So many questions, so little time. Unconsciously, I glared at Troy. Here he was, this fountain of information but he had never spilled a drop for...God knows how long. "Wait," I started getting annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He was evidently surprised by my reaction. I was anything but predictable, thank you very much. "Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" I repeated loudly. "You totally would have left here tonight without saying a word if I hadn't asked you." I shouted accusingly at him. He was so ready to just leave and to think, I almost let him!

"I thought you knew! Everyone else did. I didn't think I was _that_ subtle."

"Haven't you figured out by now that I'm terrible with social clues? You idiot!" I shot daggers from my eyes at Troy. He made me feel really really stupid for not realizing it sooner and that was not a feeling to which I was accustomed to. I was finding that I hated this feeling. And I hated Troy right now for making me feel this way.

He looked utterly nonplussed. "This is, hands down, the fucking weirdest conversation I've ever had. And I grew up with Chad. That is really saying something."

"Don't try and change the subject." I snapped icily. From a strictly objective point of view, this was pretty bizarre. However, that wasn't exactly first thing on my list of priorities. "You're still the idiot who apparently is emotionally incapable of vocalizing a simple sentence such as...oh I don't know. 'I like you?' Or you couldn't find the balls to ask me out? Is that it?" All my frustration from this week had reached a boiling point at, what was quite possibly, the most inconvenient time.

"I tried!" He protested, eyes wide and earnest.

"When?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes. I would have picked up on it. Yes, my dating senses were a little warped but I couldn't be that slow, could I?

"The other day, when we were eating lunch together"

I blinked at him, trying to mentally flip through our shared moments. "Oh God, that whole thing about Nourish?" Troy nodded emphatically. "That has probably got to be the worst ask-out I've ever heard. I'm actually feeling almost insulted."

"Okay, well now that we've established that you're apparently immune to the 'Bolton charm' how-" He began through his gritted teeth but I cut him off before he could get too far.

"Which brings me next to my next point. Bolton charm? Is that some kind figment of your imagination?" Oh boy, I was really on a roll now.

"Thanks, you're really stroking my ego here." Troy said sarcastically, giving me this sardonic look that I thoroughly wanted to smack off his face. And I almost did but with great self restraint, which I obviously possessed, I refrained.

"Why should I? God, how have you ever had a girlfriend?" I asked incredulously. If this is how he treated the girls he wanted to date, I was kind of scared to think of what they had to go through to get him to admit anything. This was one tightly wound guy.

He groaned, falling back into my girly pink chair as his heavy head fell into his hands. "Yes, this is the conversation I've always wanted to have with the girl I love." He deadpanned dryly. His words were sarcastic but...I'm pretty sure he meant most of it.

I stopped thinking for just a second. "Love?"

He froze like he just realized what he had let slip out. "Dammit," He cursed under his breath. "...maybe?" Pause. "Fine, yes, love! Now can we please not talk about this?"

"Well too bad Buster. Deal with it. We wouldn't even be having this conversation if you had just said something earlier." I crossed my arms over my chest and reverted back to thinking about signals Troy may or may not have given out. My eyes widened as I came to another conclusion. "That's why you didn't want me to go out with Kevin."

"Yes." He admitted dully.

"All that work," I marveled "all that work just because you thought he and I were going to hit it off, get married and have little intellectual babies." I theorized, maliciously trying to provoke Troy. My eyes narrowed into thin slits but I felt a small sense of triumph as he visibly flinched. Ha, I was right.

"This is painful but, yes." Troy muttered.

"Do you know what would have been a lot less effort? Just asking me out yourself!"

"So on top of being scared out of my fucking mind that you're probably going to reject me, I have to listen to you rip on me for not saying anything sooner? Do you realize how ridiculous this is?" Troy finally exploded, looking at me, his normally perfect features crumpling in frustration.

"Of course I know how ridiculous this is. And it's all your fault." Admittedly, I was just being a bitch now but I was kind of pissed at him so I was coping the one way I knew how.

"Fine Gabriella!" He stood up suddenly, throwing his arms out to the side like he was opening himself up for target practice. "Fine. I promise that the next time that I discover that I have feelings for you, you'll be the first to know."

"That's all I ask."

"Fuck this," He muttered. Then a look of slow clarity came dawned on him like he realized what had happened, or more specifically, what hadn't happened. "So, _are_ you rejecting me?" I had never seen Troy look so nervous. His eyes were shifting all over my face and he was twisting his hands in front of him; an obvious sign of distress.

"I didn't say that." I answered automatically.

"Okay." He paused, breathing heavily. "We've figured out how I feel about you, how do you feel about me?" He asked softly.

I blinked owlishly. How _did_ I feel? "I don't know." I replied uncertainly, bringing one leg to sit underneath me.

He took a step closer. "Do you like me?" Even he knew it was too soon to even consider the other 'L' word.

"I don't know."

He took another step. Oh shit, he was really close. I gulped at his proximity and looked up into his face. His aquamarine eyes were peering down at me solemnly, full of...what was that? Hope? Love? Either way, I couldn't decipher it. "Do you want to be with me?" His voice was still quiet but had taken a new husky quality to it. It sounded pretty sexy, if I do say so myself.

"I don-"

"Don't know. Yeah, I got it." He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck, exhaustion illustrated with every move he made. "Just, let me know when you do."

I nodded without a word as he silently made his way out my door but I don't even know if he saw it. And now I was confused and slightly annoyed, and the cherry on top was that I felt horrible for treating Troy so badly when he hadn't really done anything that warranted such behavior. If he still loved me after all the crap I put him through, then his extreme tolerance for my hissy fits and mood swings was definitely going in the 'pro' column.

I flopped backwards onto my bed. I had a lot to think about. I pretty much didn't sleep that night. My mind stayed awake for hours just pouring over the details of Troy's and mine relationship. It was far more complicated than I ever could have thought. We had a bipolar relationship as it was but then you factor in male hormones and the whole thing goes screwy. Why did he have to go and do something as stupid as fall for me?

* * *

All of Friday, I didn't talk to him but rather studied him. To find things about him that bothered me or endeared him to me. I had to make a subjective decision and it was only fair that I had all the data to back me up. Yes he talked a lot, but he was actually kind of interesting and funny most of the time. Cheesy as hell but he had good entertainment value. The basic reasons I had for disliking several of Troy's qualities were that they were the opposite of Kevin's but it was becoming increasingly obvious that the anti-Kevin might just be exactly what I needed.

I still thought he was stupid to not make the first move but think about it, I had chosen to dress up for Kevin for three weeks (it makes me sound less pathetic when I don't mention the countless months I spent pining after him) when I could have just asked him out myself. Who knows? Maybe he would have said yes and I could have figured out that he wasn't the right guy for me a long time ago so I couldn't logically hold that against Troy for too long because in reality, I was no better than him.

But that wasn't important anymore. And the more I looked at Troy, the more I could see that he really deserved a chance. And God, he was really quite attractive, wasn't he? I never really noticed before since I had been *cough* distracted but now that I was seeing clearly, he was beyond attractive. He was drop dead gorgeous. And he liked me.

As I watched him laugh and joke with our friends from afar after school, I came to an objective decision. I could do this. It could wreck our friendship if it didn't work out but it would have already been affected by our weirdly aggressive conversation from the night before and I had a feeling that it could only get better from here.

I marched over to him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He whipped around, the laughter dying on his lips as he saw who disrupted them. I could see anticipation written all over his flawless features, maybe even a little fear.

"This is a tutorial: how to make the first move." With that, I cupped his jaw in my delicate hands and smashed my lips to his to which he responded almost immediately. His strong arms wrapped around my torso as he pulled me closer. Vaguely, I registered the whoops and hollers coming from our friends but I ignored them. After a lengthy kiss, I pulled away while still keeping our hands in place. "Then I would say:" I bit my lip nervously. I already knew the outcome of this situation but somehow, it didn't make it any less nerve-wracking. "I like you, Troy Bolton. I hope you like me too." I whispered to his beaming face, smiling cheekily.

He laughed out loud before swiftly leaning in and capturing my lips again. "As if you even had to ask."

**The End**

**

* * *

**

A/N: It's done. I'm legitimately in shock. For a while, I honestly thought this would never end due to my obvious lack of discipline. But here it is. Wow. I know their conversation in the middle part is a little long and excessive but it just kept coming out and I was kind of having fun with it. So I kept it. I hope you don't mind. And again, point out any technical errors if you find them.

I totally meant to have this up earlier today but through a small series of events, I wasn't able to. As in, my parents came home about two hours earlier than expected so I couldn't get this chapter up (and couldn't go to the pool today either. I have a mild sunglasses tan that I would really like to get rid of. Sad.) But here it is.


End file.
